Beatrice Lillie, a singer, actress and comedienne, made her mark on the London and New York stages and was known to many as “The Funniest Woman in the World”. She won a special Tony Award for her musical revue An Evening with Beatrice Lillie and received many other accolades throughout her career including the Sarah Siddons Award in Chicago, and two other Tony nominations for “Best Leading Actress in a Musical.”

This exciting project by Christine Aziz is made possible through a unique fellowship provided in collaboration by The Theatre Centre and the Drake Hotel and is supported by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council.

A Tea with Bea features Christine as Beatrice Lillie: “Because Bea, as she was known to her peers, was so adept at playing characters, I thought it best to bring her back to life as a character as well. My interest in her lies in the fact that I too am a singer, actor and comedian (nowadays we don’t “feminize” the titles!) and I admire all that she accomplished. Despite a long successful career, many Canadians have never heard of her. It is my hope that through a series of videos where Bea has a cup of tea with noted Canadian artists, audiences will come to know and appreciate Bea as I do.”

The Beatrice Lillie building on Queen Street West will soon become The Theatre Centre’s new home, after serving as a public health building for many years. When the plaque for the building was unveiled, members of the Beatrice Lillie Society were said to have lamented “it’s a shame it’s not a theatre.” Looks like they will soon be getting their wish.